As a 1D (currently 1DX) shooter I've been looking for a long time for a lightweight travel kit that promises good image quality. Bought the SL1 refurbished from the Canon USA website. Added the 18-135 STM and 320EX Flash. I couldn't be happier with this setup for a lightweight, portable camera when I don't want to lug my 1DX around. The 320EX is an great addition providing a swivel head flash in a very compact unit. Being able to bounce flash improves indoor flash quality 1000% over any other camera setup. The lens is very nice for what it is.
Again for such a small, compact and CHEAP setup this thing is great!

Cons:

Feb 3, 2015

gse53OfflineBuy and Sell: On

Registered: Feb 13, 2004Location: United StatesPosts: 374

Review Date: Dec 19, 2014

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $359.00
| Rating: 10

Pros:

Small, light and full featured. Can use all my EF lenses on it.

Cons:

None so far

I bought this refurbished, on sale from Canon, for my GF to use a decent camera when we go hiking. This is a Rebel. No question about that. It is not as good as my 70D or 5D2 or my Oly EM-10 for that matter. But for what it is, it is great. A tiny ultra-light, pocketable (with my pancake lens) large sensor high quality point and shoot substitute.
Love it so far.

Dec 19, 2014

grueber34OfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Jan 10, 2011Location: United StatesPosts: 11

Review Date: Jul 28, 2014

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $350.00
| Rating: 10

Pros:

Small and light

Cons:

Know its limitations

On recent trips to Europe, I paired the SL1 with a Canon EF 15-85 IS, and found the ideal walk-around combination. The light weight is truly liberating, and the IQ is all you could ask for with this particular setup. No, it's not a 5D3, but it does excel at what it was meant to do. Do not under estimate this little gem.

Jul 28, 2014

voltaireOfflineBuy and Sell: On

Registered: Feb 27, 2005Location: United StatesPosts: 1684

Review Date: Nov 26, 2013

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9

Pros:

Small footprint, lightweight, compatibility with all my lenses and no need for an adaptor.

Cons:

Limited focus points and only center focus point area. Could focus hunt if the area you're focusing on does not have enough contrast.

I purchased the 100D (SL1 in the U.S.) in Singapore on my way to India. Knowing that I'll be on a ten day trip in the middle of summer in India, I had a feeling I would get tired lugging around my pro cameras.

It wasn't much of a learning curve to use the SL1 except for that button that allows me to change aperture that I need to press all the time. Being familiar with the Canon menus, it wasn't difficult to start shooting right away.

When you purchase the SL1 your mindset should be not to replace but to supplement existing gear. Now, I use the SL1 for parties and for concert photography in a club setting where I can use IS enabled lenses. I can also use the SL1 on my Vixen Polarie for astro photography since its light enough that the mount won't slip.

The outer focusing points leave much to be desired but I knew what I was buying. As far as action shots, I wouldn't trust the SL1 on this since there's a bit of focusing lag compared to 10x the price of a pro camera. Nevertheless, it is an excellent travel camera as long as you're aware of its limitations.

Now, if only Canon can provide the same footprint for a full frame version with 45 or 61 focus points that would be Canon nirvana. The 6D comes close but it doesn't have enough focus points.